Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Advocates: Trump’s Comments About Strength Of Vets With PTSD ‘Dangerous’

"The biggest barrier we have to people getting help is the stigma of getting help," says Zach Iscol, a Marine veteran and executive director of the nonprofit Headstrong Project. "It just shows a complete misunderstanding of what post-traumatic stress disorder is."

The Associated Press:
Trump Angers With Suggestion That Vets With PTSD Are Weak
Donald Trump is drawing scorn from veterans' groups after he suggested that soldiers who suffer from mental health issues might not be as strong as those who don't. Trump was speaking at an event organized by the Retired American Warriors political action committee Monday when he was asked about his commitment to faith-based programs aimed at preventing suicides and helping soldiers suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and other issues. (10/3)

The Washington Post:
Trump Suggests Military Members With Mental Health Issues Aren’t ‘Strong’ And ‘Can’t Handle It’
"When you talk about the mental health problems, when people come back from war and combat, they see things that maybe a lot of the folks in this room have seen many times over. And you're strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can't handle it," the Republican presidential nominee told an audience of military veterans at an event in Northern Virginia on Monday morning. "And they see horror stories, they see events that you couldn’t see in a movie — nobody would believe it." Mental health advocates have been trying for decades to destigmatize depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other issues in hopes of empowering people to not be afraid to seek medical help. The stigma surrounding mental health has been especially difficult to fight in the military, where many service members think that they should handle these issues on their own and that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Suicide has become an epidemic among veterans, and more than 20 end their lives each day. (Sullivan and Johnson, 10/3)

Politico:
Trump Appears To Suggest Veterans With PTSD Are Not 'Strong'
The real estate mogul called for more assistance with veterans’ mental health, noting that “it’s one of the things that I think is least addressed” but also “one of the things that I hear the most about when I go around and talk to the veterans.” “So we’re gonna have a very, very robust — very, very robust — level of performance having to do with mental health. We are losing so many great people that can be taken care of if they had proper care,” Trump continued. (McCaskill, 10/3)

USA Today:
Trump PTSD Comments Spark Emotional Debate
Critics took exception to Trump's portrayal of the victims of PTSD as being people who "can't handle" the things they saw in war, in contrast to the room of veterans he was addressing, who are "strong" and who "can handle it." (Cummings, 10/3)

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